News Analysis: Japan's Coalition Government Formed of LDP, LP 　　Japanese Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi on Thursday formed a coalition government between his ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and the opposition Liberal Party (LP) by absorbing LP General Secretary Takeshi Noda, who was named as Home Affairs Minister. 　　The coalition's formation would bring the ruling bloc an 11-seat majority in the House of Councilors (upper house), where the LDP fails to get a majority and have to be restricted by other parties in passing laws. 　　The LDP enjoys a majority in the House of Representatives, the more powerful Lower House of the Diet (Parliament). 　　The reason of LP's coalition with the LDP is that LP has become a small political party and has to cooperate with the LDP to avoid the crisis of party destroying. 　　At Obuchi's request, three original cabinet members submitted their resignations earlier in the day to pave the way for the new government while other 17 retained their posts. 　　Obuchi also reduced the number of ministers in the new cabinet to 18 from 20, as agreed with LP leader Ichiro Ozawa to reform the country's administrative and political system. 　　In order to establish a coalition government, the two parties also made some comprises, especially on sensitive issues such as safeguarding Japan's security due to related laws that have to be passed by both the lower and upper Houses. 　　The new Japanese coalition government is a regime of conservative parties with fewer cabinet members. We should focus on the two tasks of the new government at present, which are relating to the peace and development of the Asian-Pacific region. The tasks are: railroading the financial budget of 1999 and US-Japan security strategy in the Diet as soon as possible, according to Obuchi. 　　 WorldNews 1999-01-15 Page6 Full Story in Chinese